along the tracks of the etruscans
At sunset the light is soft, shadows lengthen and the western winds stop playing around your ears.
Here silence drops, an eternal silence which seems to evoke ancient Etruscan spirits. From the Rocca di Populonia
giving onto the gulf of Baratti you can feel echoes of a long ancient past. Your imagination jumps backwards and
explores the mysterious history of an ancient people who first discovered the great resources of this land.
Here we are standing on hills rich in metals. For good or for bad, it is iron which has determined the history
of these places, from the island of Elba down to Val di Cornia.
The thousand-year scars of these hills witness a strong link between men and their territory rich in minerals:
from the melting furnaces, dating back from the time of the Etruscans, to the mineral village of S. Silvestro and
to the modern steel plants of Piombino.
In Val di Cornia, especially along the lanes, in the shops and in the squares of Suvereto and Campiglia Marittima,
there is a mediaeval atmosphere broken only by the presence of chimneys.
At dawn the light illuminates the streets and paths slipping into the thick Mediterranean vegetation which
extends all over the promontory of Piombino. You can walk a lot among the traces of this dead civilisation.
You need boots, a rucksack and a water-bottle, but do not forget your swimming-costume.
When you smell the salty air it will be very hard to overcome the temptation to touch the crystal-clear waters of Buche delle Fate or lie in the sun on the clear sandy beach of Baratti.
itineraries detail:
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buche delle fate